Madam Liu’s tears were still hanging on her face as she clenched her palms tightly and gritted her teeth, saying, “I’ve truly never seen anyone so shameless!”
Her voice trembled as she spoke: “That girl is like a piece of stubborn meat—completely unruly! Needles can’t pierce her, and water can’t touch her!”
Her skin was as thick as a city wall!
If it had been any other unmarried young lady, she wouldn’t have been able to endure even a harsh word. But as for Qi Yuan, every time someone insulted her, she would shoot right back. Whether you used profound references or hasty insults, she always had a sharp retort ready.
Madam Liu had never suffered such a humiliating insult in her life!
Liu Jinghong glanced at his wife. Seeing that she was still visibly trembling even as she recounted the incident, he knew she was truly enraged.
He narrowed his eyes: “Is she really that difficult to deal with?”
Madam Liu choked with emotion: “More difficult than anyone I’ve ever met! How do I put it… She has no sense of shame and isn’t bound by any rules.”
She dares to say anything, dares to do anything.
A pang of regret flickered in Madam Liu’s heart.
Why did she have to push her daughter to clash with Qi Yuan just to vent for the princess?
If she had known Qi Yuan was such a person, she would never, not even in death, have let her daughter get involved with her.
But now, it was all too late.
Thinking about the pain and humiliation her daughter had suffered today, Madam Liu’s tears fell like broken pearls.
While Liu Jinghong was deep in thought, a maid suddenly cried out: “Young Miss! Please don’t move!”
Liu Mingzhu had woken up!
Madam Liu and Liu Jinghong exchanged glances and hurried into the room.
They saw Liu Mingzhu, face flushed red, trying to get out of bed.
Madam Liu quickly rushed over to press her back down, anxious and angry: “Mingzhu, what are you doing? The imperial doctor said your injuries need proper rest…”
But Liu Mingzhu didn’t care at all. She shoved her mother away and, with reddened eyes, demanded, “Where’s Qi Yuan!? I want to kill her! I want her dead!”
As soon as she woke, the scene from earlier flooded her mind—the overwhelming gasps and scolding voices still echoed in her ears.
It was all Qi Yuan’s doing. Her life was supposed to be flawless like an unblemished silk tapestry, yet now that tapestry was marred with cracks.
Liu Jinghong stepped forward and gently took his daughter’s hand: “Mingzhu, it’s Father. Father is here!”
Upon seeing her father, Liu Mingzhu finally burst into tears: “Father, you must avenge me! That wretched Qi Yuan, she did this to me!”
She stared at Liu Jinghong with fierce determination: “I want her dead! I want her dead!”
“Alright, alright, alright.” Liu Jinghong softly patted his daughter’s back, coaxing her as if she were a child: “Father will make sure she dies, don’t you worry.”
He smiled as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind Liu Mingzhu’s ear and gently wiped away her tears with his fingertip: “Your mother was right. You are a jade vase, and she is a rat. It was Father’s fault for letting you associate with the rats in the gutters.”
But Liu Mingzhu wasn’t comforted. She just fixated on her father and stubbornly asked, “Father, is my life ruined now?”
She had lost the match in public and had schemed to make Qi Yuan fall off her horse—only to fail and end up falling herself.
She didn’t even dare to imagine how the noble ladies of the capital would gossip about her from now on.
And Commandery Princess Luochuan and the others—they would surely gloat.
“Silly child.” Liu Jinghong couldn’t help but chuckle. “How is this some great disaster? Life is long and filled with challenges. Look at Qi Yuan—she spent over a decade crawling around in the countryside, unable to enter proper society, yet hasn’t she managed to live well enough?”
Come to think of it, that Qi Yuan was truly a capable political player.
Thick-skinned, quick-witted—many old officials in court didn’t even have her level of shamelessness.
But even a slight admiration didn’t change his stance.
After comforting his daughter in just a few words, Liu Jinghong turned to Madam Liu and said, “Let’s go. Let’s go meet this Eldest Miss Qi.”
At this moment, Qi Yuan was speaking with Xiao Yunting.
Her injuries were actually quite serious.
When she fell off the horse, she had taken a hard blow to her back. The imperial physician had just examined her and couldn’t help but click his tongue in shock, wondering how she had endured until now.
Even as she sat across from Xiao Yunting, her lips were still a bit pale.
Xiao Yunting, wearing a stern expression, watched her finish her cup of tea in one gulp as if nothing was wrong. Unable to bear it any longer, he asked, “Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
Qi Yuan glanced at him, puzzled: “Of course I do. Your Highness, the assassin who just hid in this room wasn’t sent by Madam Liu’s people. Do you know who it was?”
…
Completely off-topic!
Xiao Yunting lowered his voice in anger: “That’s not what I meant! I’m asking—don’t you know what it means to ask for help?! Why did you…”
Why did you insist on putting yourself in harm’s way?
Why must you always crash headfirst into the danger?
What’s the point?
He was standing right there, yet Qi Yuan never once thought of asking him for help.
Qi Yuan looked at him, confused: “Your Highness, I’m talking about something serious.”
She had no interest in discussing whether she should have asked for help—that question was meaningless.
She simply set down her tea cup coldly: “The one hiding here, trying to kill me just now, was Qi Wang.”
Qi Wang?!
Xiao Yunting’s pupils contracted sharply, momentarily forgetting to argue with Qi Yuan.
In disbelief, he asked, “Why?”
Even if Qi Wang wanted to kill Qi Yuan, it made no sense to act now.
And there were countless other ways to do it.
Yet Qi Wang chose to hide in a guest room at the Zhou Wang’s estate, during the polo event, and attempt murder.
This…
“Because he’s finally certain that I’m the same as him.” Qi Yuan’s lips curved into a cold smile. “So he no longer wants to hide behind the scenes. He wants to kill me directly.”
Xiao Yunting’s gaze fell on Qi Yuan’s hand and he couldn’t help asking, “That injury—is that his doing?”
Qi Yuan glanced at her wrist and casually withdrew her hand: “No. If he had been more decisive, I really would’ve died today. But he just loves to ramble about meaningless things, so in the end, I still won.”
That was always Qi Wang’s flaw in her past life—clearly a treacherous villain, yet he always had to pretend to be loyal and virtuous.
To put it bluntly, he wanted to play the prostitute while still setting up a memorial archway.
He had exterminated the entire Xie family and kept the person she cared about most imprisoned like livestock.
And yet, he still thought she would be willing to stay by his side, to be his favored noble consort.
He even fell out with Princess Baorong because of her.
How utterly foolish and disgusting.
Xiao Yunting glanced at her and suddenly asked, “What do you mean by meaningless things?”
As far as he knew, Qi Wang wasn’t someone who liked to waste words.
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